Brian Higgins is a member of the United States House of Representatives serving New York’s 26th congressional district, which includes portions of Erie and Niagara Counties.
Widely accepted as the principal architect of waterfront development in Buffalo and Western New York, Brian led the fight for a quarter-billion dollar federal relicensing settlement from the New York Power Authority that continues to finance the transformation of Buffalo's long-neglected Inner and Outer Harbor waterfront areas. In our nation’s capital, Brian is an advocate for policies important to our regional and national economies. Brian is an avowed supporter of increased funding for biomedical research – an area creating jobs throughout the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus – and remains a strong voice for robust infrastructure investment, for “nation building here at home.”
Federal investments made in several COVID-19 relief packages fought for by Congressman Higgins, and passed by the House, ensured the accelerated delivery schedule of the COVID vaccine to communities across America. In December 2020, Congress passed a major relief package that included $8.75 billion to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) & states for distribution of vaccines.
Vaccination Eligibility:
Vaccination Sites:
CVS Pharmacy
Website: https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine
Phone: 800-746-7287
Rite Aid
Website: https://www.riteaid.com/Covid-19
Phone: Call your local Rite Aid or 1-800-748-3243
Tops Pharmacy
Website: https://www.topsmarkets.com/Covid19Vaccinations/
Phone: 1-800-522-2522
Walgreens
Website: Walgreens.com/schedulevaccine
Phone: Call your local Walgreens or 1-800-925-4733
KeyBank Center
1 Seymour H Knox III Plaza, Buffalo
Appointments are required and will be opened as vaccine supply is available. Registration information will be sent initially to individuals who have used the ECDOH Vaccine Notification form: www.erie.gov/vaccinenotice
Wegmans Pharmacy
Website: http://www.wegmans.com/pharmacy
Phone: 1-800-207-6099
Delevan Grider Community Center
This is a FEMA/NYS operated vaccination site. Appointments must be made through the New York State website or vaccination hotline.
Website: https://am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/
Phone: 1-833-697-4829
Location: 877 East Delavan Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14215
Neighborhood Health Center
Website: https://nhcwny.org/about/covid-19/
Phone: 716-875-2904
Jericho Road Community Health Center
Website: https://www.jrchc.org/medical/covid19/vaccination/
Phone: 716-881-6191
VA WNY Healthcare System
Website: https://www.buffalo.va.gov/services/covid-19-vaccines.asp
Phone: 716-862-8829
Veteran eligibility: https://www.va.gov/health-care/eligibility/
Vaccine Informational Resources:
CDC frequently asked questions regarding COVID vaccine: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html
NYS phased distribution information site: https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/phased-distribution-vaccine
To find a vaccine site near you: www.vaccinefinder.org
COVID-19 Testing:
NYS Department of Health Testing Site Map: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/find-test-site-near-you
Erie County COVID-19 Testing Site Map: erie.gov/covidtestsites
Niagara County COVID-19 Testing Sites: https://www.niagaracounty.com/Portals/4/Docs/Web%20Social%20Media%20COVID-19%20Testing%20in%20Niagara%20County%20(6).pdf
Emergency Resources for Western New Yorkers:
Food Assistance: www.feedmorewny.org
Health Insurance: www.nystateofhealth.ny.gov/
Unemployment: www.ny.gov/services/get-unemployment-assistance
Student Loan Forbearance Information: https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/coronavirus
Family & Medical Leave: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic
Crisis Services: http://crisisservices.org / Crisis hotline: 716-834-3131
Erie County Domestic Violence Hotline: 716-862-4357
Niagara County Pinnacle Community Services Domestic Violence Hotline: 716-299-0909
Job Assistance/Opportunities:
The Federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act supports One-Stop Career Centers in Western New York providing resources to connect job seekers and businesses. Services include: resume prep assistance, computer/copier access, training/education, counseling/career planning.
Visit: http://www.workforcebuffalo.org/
Job Bank (Current Openings in NYS – Search Western Region) www.labor.ny.gov/jobs/regional.shtm
Resources for Businesses:
Contact a Local Small Business Administration Assistance Center:
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP): https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options/paycheck-protection-program
COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options/covid-19-economic-injury-disaster-loans
Shuttered Venue Operators Grant: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options/shuttered-venue-operators-grant
Direct Payments, Tax Credits & Rebates Available to Businesses, Families & Individuals: https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus-tax-relief-and-economic-impact-payments
Education is one of the most powerful tools we can give our children. From early education all the way through graduate studies and beyond, Brian strongly believes that all students should be given an equal chance to succeed. In order to prepare students to enter the workforce, Higgins has been a strong advocate for math and science education, in addition to workforce training programs, to give students the marketable skills they need to compete in a globalized economy. Brian has also been outspoken on the need to make higher education more affordable to reduce the skyrocketing education debt burden faced by so many recent graduates.
Western New Yorkers know too well the painful costs of pollution and other forms of environmental degradation and neglect. Over 30 years ago the Buffalo River was declared biologically dead and ecologically destroyed, and only through a persistent restoration effort was it remediated and shows vastly improved water quality. Brian believes that we must learn from this history to prevent the recurrence of environmental disasters like Love Canal and Tonawanda Coke in our district. His work in Washington, D.C. focuses on the conservation and care for the many precious natural resources here in Western New York. From the Great Lakes, to our waterways, to our parks and natural public spaces, Brian is fighting to ensure the federal policies enacted in Congress help to support a healthy environment and protect those most vulnerable to pollution and exposure to hazardous substances. To achieve these goals of preservation, Brian has been a strong supporter of federal funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and the Water Resources Development Act.
Brian is a supporter of the Affordable Care Act recognizing the law was a beginning, not an end to expanding, improving, and providing more affordable healthcare options for Americans. He supports legislation aimed at bringing down the cost of prescription drug prices and is a lead sponsor of a bill that would allow people ages 50-64 to buy into Medicare early.
As Co-Chair of the House of Representatives Cancer Caucus, Brian works with his colleagues to support substantial federal investments in medical research, funding benefiting Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus here in Western New York and supporting families fighting horrible diseases and conditions across the nation. He is also a lead sponsor of the Cancer Drug Coverage Parity Act, which requires health insurance companies to provide the same coverage for new, promising orally-administered anti-cancer medication as it does for traditional intravenous chemotherapy.
Brian remains at the forefront of today’s top health discussions ranging from improving mental health services to seeking solutions to combat the opioid epidemic, as a member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health.
With a district bordering Canada, Brian is a recognized leader on matters related to the US-Canadian relationship. In his roles as Co-chair of the Northern Border Caucus, Co-chair of Canada-US Inter-Parliamentary Group, and a member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, Brian seeks out opportunities to build our binational relationship, fighting for adequate staffing and systems to allow for the efficient flow of goods and people across the border.
Brian works to build safer neighborhoods through his support of the federal fire grant program, the Justice in Policing Act and common sense legislation to reduce gun violence including universal background checks.
Brian recognizes that for Western New York to reach its full potential, opportunity must extend beyond our business districts and into our neighborhoods. As a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, Brian maintains a seat at the table during critical discussions related to tax policy, state and local aid, and affordable housing.
Brian has been a staunch defender of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, which has repeatedly been at risk of cuts and elimination. The program delivers over $25 million to Western New York cities and towns for infrastructure, housing, neighborhood improvements and programs.
Higgins wrote and introduced the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act, bipartisan legislation designed to encourage homeownership and community investment in distressed neighborhoods by providing a tax credit allocated through states to cover the gap between the cost of construction and the sales price of a home for low-to-moderate income homeowners.
Western New York’s recent revival has been made possible, in part, thanks to the federal Historic Tax Credit program, which incentivizes private sector investment in the rehabilitation and reuse of historic buildings as well as the New Markets Tax Credit, which encourages investment in economically distressed areas.
Prior to its creation in 1965, only 50 percent of seniors had health insurance. Today, Medicare provides one of the most important guarantees in our society – the guarantee that if you are an older American and you get sick, you will get the care that you need without going broke. Brian is committed to protecting the Medicare guarantee, opposing plans that would force seniors to buy insurance on the open market, and making sure that the program remains affordable and continues gives seniors access to the care they deserve.
Social Security is the most successful antipoverty program in American history and we must keep it strong for the future. The formula used to set the annual cost of living increase is out of date and does not properly weigh the price increases in housing and medical care. Brian supports using a Consumer Price Index for the Elderly to more accurately reflect the costs incurred by seniors. And rather than cut benefits or ask Americans to invest their Social Security in Wall Street, Brian thinks we should lift the cap on what very high income Americans are asked to pay into the system.
For decades the U.S. has underinvested in our infrastructure and America’s roads, bridges, water systems and sewer lines are in desperate need of repair. Brian has fought to change that since his early years in Congress with his Nation Building Here at Home Act, investing over $1.2 trillion in America’s infrastructure, rebuilding our communities, creating economic opportunity and growing jobs. As a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, Brian is a leading voice for infrastructure investment in Washington and helped to craft the $1.5 trillion Moving Forward Act, a comprehensive plan to repair and revitalize our country’s infrastructure.
Brian is a relentless fighter for Western New York’s fair share of federal transportation funding, delivering for notable projects such as: the redesign of the Niagara Street corridor, the return of cars to Main Street in Downtown Buffalo, Kenmore Avenue improvements along the Tonawanda/Buffalo border, and the transformation of a crumbling, one-way Fuhrmann Boulevard into the Outer Harbor Parkway.
Following the tragic crash of Flight 3407 in 2009, Higgins worked alongside the Families of Flight 3407 to push sweeping reforms through Congress to improve airline safety. In the years since, they have continued to fight for implementation of higher pilot training standards, measures to mitigate pilot fatigue, and rules to provide greater transparency for consumers.
Caring for our veterans and active military involves more than thanking them for their service. As veterans return home, our nation has an obligation to assist them in preparing to reenter into civilian life, including access to earned benefits, education, jobs and opportunities.
Brian’s fight for those who fight for our nation includes protecting the needs of the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station and its future, and supporting the services provided through the Veteran Administration Western New York Healthcare System.
Higgins has successfully pushed through legislation ensuring blinded veterans and Blue Water Vietnam veterans receive the benefits they deserve. He cosponsored legislation expanding the successful Veteran Treatment Court program, which began in Buffalo, to communities across the nation. And he repeatedly fought to maintain the Kids Korner program which provides free child care services to veterans during medical appointments at the Buffalo VA Hospital.
Brian has long believed in a simple formula for waterfront development: remove the barriers to public access, provide high-quality public destinations along the water’s edge, and economic growth, private development and opportunity will follow. In 2005 he led the charge to secure a $279 million federal relicensing settlement from the New York Power Authority, which has funded and continues to fund parks and public improvements along Buffalo’s Inner Harbor, including Canalside, and Outer Harbor.
In 2013, Brian set out to help the City of Niagara Falls reclaim its waterfront. He pushed for removal of the Robert Moses Parkway to reconnect people and neighborhoods with their waterfront and insisted the New York Power Authority was responsible for paying for it.
Brian’s waterfront efforts reach outside of the Cities of Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Examples include: federal funding for the West River Parkway on Grand Island as well as the Intermodal Hub & Comfort Station connecting waterfront trails in the Tonawandas.
In Congress Brian is a champion for programs that promote, invest in and protect our water. Robust funding for the Army Corps of Engineers ensures waterways are navigable and shorelines are protected. Continued protection of our National Heritage Areas build new opportunities in Niagara Falls and along the Erie Canal. As a member of the Congressional Great Lakes Task Force, Brian fights to reduce threats to our water, including chemical and wastewater pollution, harmful algal blooms, and invasive species, and pushes for expanded funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which has led to revitalization of the Buffalo River.